Councillor Charles John Clayton was elected to the New Brighton Borough Council in 1902. He was born in England, where, for twenty-two years, he was engaged in an extensive manufacturing business. Mr. Clayton arrived in New Zealand in 1892, and began business in Christchurch by forming the Reliance Boot and Shoe Factory, which was merged in 1898 into the Excelsior Boot Manufacturing Company, Limited, with Mr. Clayton as manager. Mr. Clayton is a member of the Federated Boot Manufacturers' Association.